smith



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. F. SMITH. HYDRAULIC REGOIL GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 545,540. Patented Sept. 5, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M; P. SMITH. HYDRAULIC REGOIL GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 545,540. Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

wttmeoau mvmlioz (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.-

I M. I. SMITH. HYDRAULIC REGOIL GUN CARRIAGE.

Patented sept. 3

Wfimaxii UNITED STATES MORRIS 1'. SMITH, ()l PHILADELPHIA,

PATENT OFFICE.

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VILLIAM CRAMI & SONS SIIII AND ENGINEBUILDING COMPANY, OF

SA M E PLACE.

HYDBA ULIC-RECOIL GUN-CARR IAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatenilNo. 545,540, datedSeptember 3, 1895.

Application filed March 4, 1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and 5 State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHydraulic- Recoil Gun-Carriages, of which the following is aspecification.

'My invention relates to hydraulic-recoil ro field or land carriages forrapid-fire guns, and it has for its object to improve and simplify theconstruction of such carriages to better adapt them for the uses forwhich they are intended, especiallyiu connection with relar5 tivelylarge guns; and to this endmy invention consists in the various featuresof construction and arrangement of parts having the mode of operationsubstantially as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated one preferredembodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the carriage, oneof the wheels being removed the better to show the remaining parts. Fig.25 1 is an enlarged detail view of one of the axle-supports. Fig. 2 is aplan view, some of the details being in section. Fig. 3 is a rear endview of the carriage, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showingone of the recoil-cylinders.

' In the use of rapid-fire guns, especially in connection withfield-carriages, it is desirable that the carriage should be made aslight as possible and at the sameitime should have 5 the greatestpractical rigidity, in order that the various parts can successfullywithstand the strains brought to bear upon them in the operation of thegun, and it is also desirable that the recoil of the gun should beproperly o taken up in such a manner as to prevent displacement of thecarriage, injury thereto, and more especially to prevent the jumping orrising of the muzzle of the gun, and it is with the objectof furnishinga carriage which a will overcome these and other objections that mypresent invention is made, andI will now proceed to describe in detailthe construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

The carriage, as is usual in this class, coni- Serial No. 540,492- (IIomodel.)

prises an axle A, which is made of steel or other suitable material andis supported in the wheels A, and in the present embodiment of theinvention I prefer to make these wheels somewhat less in diameter thanis usual for this class of carriages, in order that the gun when mountedas hereinafter set forth will be at a convenient height for operation,and also to aid in preventing the displacement of the carriage duringthe recoil, and it will be seen hereinafter that by thus constructingthe carriage certain advantages accrue without any correspondingdisadvantages. Thus, for instance, the trail B may be made in such a wayas to normally lie in more nearly parallelism to the earth, and thusfurnish a better resistance and support for the gun.

As the gun is usually mounted about the center of the axle, the greateststrain during recoil is exerted on the axle at this part, and it has atendency to bend or distort the axle, often rendering the carriageinoperative, and it is one of the essential features of my invention toprovide means to overcome this difiiculty without the necessity ofmaking an exceedingly strong and therefore expensive axle, and this I doby not only making the trail exceedingly strong in. itself andprovidingit with ribs and connections with the axle, 8a which will tendto brace the same and support it against recoil, but I also provide whatI have termed axle supports or brackets, which are secured to thetrailand are mounted on the axle in such a manner as to aid in taking-up theresistance of the recoil'and relieving the axle of a greater portion ofits strain and produce the greatest resistance by the least amount ofmetal.

The traiLB is preferably made of sheet-steel '90 plates B, having theiredges flanged or bent inwardly, as at b, which may be suitably bracedand are preferably united to an end piece or casting B to which areattached links or sockets, 6.20., for manipulating the trail, and 5 forattachihgit to the limber in the usual way. This end piece is made in apeculiar way, in that the lower surface I) is extended to a considerableextent, practically parallel with the ground, so as to furnish asubstantial bearing roe )r the trail, and which will aid in preventing:51 being driven into the ground on the-recoil, nd further to preventthe carriage being riven backward I provide the end piece with spade b,which is cast or formed integral with the end piece, and extendsdownward at n acute angle, substantially as indicated, so hat it willembed itself in the ground, and urther aid inmaintaining the'position ofthe arriage. By thus constructing the bearing urface of the end pieceand attaching the pads in the mannerindieated I improve upon he usualconstruction of trails and. accomlish the results stated ina mostsatisfactory manner. The sides B of the trail extend forrard and aremounted on the axle A, they ieing perforated to receive, the axle, andare lreferably arranged so as to embrace the axle .djacent the sides ofthe gun-supporting rame, hereinafter described.

In order that the axle may be strengthened n the manner indicated, I'provide what I |ave termed supports or brackets C, rhich comprise asleeve (3', fitting the axle, vhich is formed. with or attached to anend )late which is preferably of a contour substantially correspondingwith the ends of he side pieces of the trail, and which aresezurelyattached thereto by bolts or rivets '0, l0 as to practicallybecome a part of the trail. lhe bracket is further provided with ribs 0which aid in strengthening or bracing the same, and I also provideextensions 0 on the .mder side for the reception of the brace orstay-piece B, which is attached to the sides at the trail by anysuitable means, as by bolts Mounted on' the sleeve and 'forming a partthereof is-the bracket-plate C, which is preferably cast in one piecewith thesleeve and the plate 0', and not only serves as a support forthe ammunition-boxX, but also acts as a stiffening-plate for the axle.In order that the supports or brackets may be more securely attached tothe sides of the trail, I preferably provide the sleeve 0 with anextension 0, which fits into an opening in the sides of the trail, asbest seen in section in Fig. 2. The bracket-plate is provided withsuitable hooks and lugs c to furnish a ready means of attaching theammunition-box.

From this construction it will be seen that the supports or bracketsembrace the axle on both sides of the gun-supporting frame and furnish apractically rigid support therefor" which will prevent distortionthereof, owing to the fact that the plate 0 is relatively very widecompared to its thickness, giving great strength in the lineofdistortion, and, further,

owing to the ribs and braces, which all co-op-- erate in connection withthe sides of the trail to prevent the bending of the axle during recoil.

In this class of guns it is desirable to lock the wheels, so as to aidin maintaining the carriage in its position during the operation of thegun, and I have shown ratchet-wheels A, attached to the hubs of thewheels, and a pawl a", arranged to slide in a chamber 0, attached to orformed with the trunnion-plate, and this pawl can be operated in theusual manner to lock the wheels. From this construction so far describedit will beseen that I provide a carriage which is relatively exceedinglylight, and still has the requisite rigidity to prevent distortion under.recoil, and by locking the wheels and using the end piece of the shapebefore set forth, in connection with the spade, as well as having theaxle low relative to the ground, I have been able to provide a carriagewhich will remain ractically stationary during recoil.

Heretofore in mounting guns on such carriages various means have beensuggested to take up the recoil, such as springs and other well-knowndevices, but so far all have had some disadvantages and failed tosatisfactorily meet the requirements, and it'is one of the features ofmy present invention to provide a recoil apparatus which can be used inconnection with the carriage, by means of which the recoil will besuccessfully overcome without disturbing the position of the carriage,and, what is perhaps of more importance, preventing the jumping of thegun before the projectile leaves the muzzle, and I will now proceed todescribe the apparatus shown for accomplishing this result. Mounted onthe axle A is a gun-supporting frame D,

which in the present instance comprises a slide-plate D, having flangesor ribs D forming partial bearings for the frame,and which, in"connection with the bearing-pieces D form a convenient means foradjustably attaching the frame to the axle. The slideplate is connectedwith some suitable means for adjusting the altitude of the gun, and Ihave shown a screw-threaded rod D pivotally connected to the slide-plateand operating in connection with an internally and externallyscrew-threaded sleeve D and an internally screw-threaded sleeve D whichis pivotally mounted in thetrail, and also mounted in IIO connectionwiththe sleeve D. is a bevel-gear D engaging a bevel-wheel D operated bya hand-wheel D, whereby the gun-supporting frame may be elevated anddepressed in the well-known manner. This mechanism for elevating anddepressing the frame is not new, but is simply used as a convenientconstruction, and any other well-known elevating and depressingmechanism may be substi-.

tuted therefor, and I do not deem it necessary to describe itsconstruction more in detail. Mounted on the slide-plate D is what I-havetermed a guide-plate E,and this is provided with a boss e, fitting adepression din the slideplate and forming apivot for the guide-plate,and it is also provided with a. bolt E. The slide-plate is also providedwith a. dovetailed grooved recess d, in which fits and moves thedovetail e' on the guide-plate, and the slideplate is also provided withan extension or offset d over which fits a gib e on the guideplate, sothat the guide-plate is held in place scaso on the slide-plate bytheboss, the dovetail,- and the g'ib, and the bolt and gib also aid inpreventing the guide-plate rising from the slide plate under the eliectsof recoil. The guide-plate can be adjusted laterallyon-zthe slide-platebyany suitable means to train the gun for azimuth, and I have shownaworm-'- wheel E engaging a rack E on the guide-plate and operated by ahand-wheel E or othersuitable means. The gunG is mounted in a sleeve F,which is securedv thereto in' any suitable way and moves with the gun onrecoil, and this sleeve is provided witha suitable recoil apparatus,about to be described. In the-pres ent instance I have shown twocylinders F connected to or formed with the sleeve F, al-

though in some instances a single cylinder may be used, and thesecylinders operate in .gun, and thereby inducing a failure to make a goodtarget, and'one of the features of my invention is to overcome thistendency, and this I accomplish. in connection with my improved recoilapparatus. Thus the cylinder or cylinders F are arranged to move overthe piston H, and the cylinders, as is usual, are filled with someliquid, as glycerine andwater, and the recoil is taken up by causing theliquid to pass'from one side to the other of the piston in the cylinder.1 so arrange the piston'in connection with the bore of the cylinderthat'upon the dischargeef the gun' there will be a practically uniformresistance oifered to the movement of the cylinderfor a certain time,(until the projectile has passed beyond the-muzzle of thegun,) and thenthe resistance will gradually increase until the recoil is f ullytakenup. In order to accomplish this,I bore or otherwise form the cylinders Ffor a certai'n distance from their rear ends-say to the line f in-frontof the pressure face of the pistons-of a unifiorm diameter andrelatively considerably larger than the diameter of the piston H, asbestindicatedin Fig, 4. From'the pointf to the point f, for instance,the cylinder tapers gradually to about the diameter of the piston Blandfrom thereon'to its end it maybe practically the same diameter as thepiston] From this it will be seen that *from the md ent'o'ffiring untilthe gun has recoiled a certai distance and until the projectile hasreached the muzzle there will be a uniform resistance, and this will notbe excessive, and

I have found that'this prevents the tendency of the gun jumping ordisturbing the carriage until the projectile has passed beyondthernuzzle of the gun,and then as the resistance gradually increasesthedisturbanceto the gun and position.

carriage is reduced to a minimum, and whatever disturbance there'is.will not interfere with accurate target practice. This feature ofmy'invention may beaccomplished in different;v

ways, and'the size of the bore'can be accurately adjusted to suit anyrecoih The cylinders F in thepresent instanceare provided with plugs Fscrewed in their. rear ends, and these plugs are preferably hollowed attheir inner ends, as indicated at ffi-so r'ts to form a cushion for thepistonwhenthe gun is returned to firing The piston-rods in this instanceare made hollow throughout a portion of their length, as'at H and-a stemor guide-rod I is mounted in the. plug F and moves in the piston-stem toproperly "guide the piston in the cylinder. In orderto return the gun tofirin g position, 1 mount in the cylinder springs J, which are shown assurrounding the'pistorilfod H, and-which are compressed during recoil,and are of-sufi'icient strength to gradually return the gun to firingposition in a manner well understood. These features, as thus described,and as shown in the drawings, have proven to be most satisfactory inconnection with a gun of relatively-high caliber-say, for instance, atwelve-pounder--and I have found that not only is the recoilsatisfactorily taken up by my arrangementi without danger of jumping ordisturbing the carriage until the projectile has actually pdssed themuzzle of the gun, but that even after'that there is comparativelylittle disturbance to thecarriage itself, so that the gun having beenonce adjusted, both for altitude and azimuth, a series of projectilescan be rapidly fired, if desired, without readjustment of the gun orcarriage. Furthermore, by the construction of the trail and theaxle-supports in the manner set forth I find that the tendency to bendor distort the axle or-other parts of the carriage is overcome, and thecarriage has stood the test of rapid and heavy firing without injury toany of the parts, and it will be observed that all the parts arerelatively light, so that the. carriage as a whole is lighter andstronger thanothers of this class thit have heretofore been made. wHaving thus described in detail (sutficiently to enable others to makeand use my invent'ron) the various features of construction andarrangement, and set forth their mode of operation, without limitingmyselfto the precise construction and arrangement set forth, what Iclaim-is- 1, In a gun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail,of two supports or brackets each comprising a sleeve surrounding theaxle, an end plate secured to the trail and having ribs, and bracesconnected to the trail, substantially as described. 2. In agun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail, of supports orbrackets comprising a sleeve fitting the axle, an end plate secured tothe trail, and abracket-plate too connected to the sleeve and end plateand forming a support for the ammunition-box, substantially asdescribed.

the trail, an end plate secured to the trail,

and a horizontal bracket-plate, substantially .as described.

4; In a gun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail, thelatter comprising steel plates embracing the axle, of asupport-orbracket at each side of the trail also en1bracing the axle, each of saidsupports comprising a sleeve, an end plate, and a bracket-plate formedin one piece and secured to the trailplates, substantially as described.

5. In a gun-carriage, the combinationwith the gun-supporting frame, of asleeve sup porting the gun, and hydraulic cylinders and pistonsinterposed between the sleeve and frame, the cylinders having a uniformbore for a certain distance in front of the pressure face of the pistonsand then a tapering bore,

whereby a uniform resistance isoll'ered' to the recoil at first, andthen gradually increased, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed 'my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

